County pizzeria destroyed in blaze

By Nok-Noi Ricker and Dawn Gagnon, Special to the BDN •January 26, 2009 9:32 pmUpdated: February 13, 2011 11:03 am

MADAWASKA, Maine — Jeff’s Pizza and Subs, which is closed on Sundays, caught fire and burned on Sunday night.

The fire at the pizzeria located at 306 Main St. was discovered when a passer-by smelled smoke about 5:20 p.m. and called Madawaska police. When police arrived, they found smoke escaping from the building’s eaves, Madawaska Fire Chief Norman Cyr said Monday.

An estimated 60 firefighters from Madawaska, Grand Isle and Frenchville worked through the night to put out the blaze, which destroyed two buildings attached to each other by a breezeway, Cyr said.

Crews were called back to the scene after the fire rekindled about 4:30 a.m. Monday.

The business, which was insured, was destroyed.

“It’s a total loss,” Cyr said, adding that the fire’s cause was still under investigation.

Cyr said the fire was a stubborn one to put out.

The owner, Donald J. Roy, had 4 to 5 tons of wood pellets stored in the basement. After the pellets caught fire, an excavator had to be brought to the scene to remove them.

A Madawaska firefighter who suffered frostbite was the only person injured in connection with the fire, Cyr said.

The firefighter was treated at Northern Maine Medical Center in Fort Kent and released.

“He’s back to work today,” Cyr said.

Jeff’s Pizza was the only business destroyed, Cyr said, adding that a few nearby buildings had smoke damage.